


The thought of losing you.

by ConvenientAlias



Series: Tumblr Ficlets [11]
Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Protectiveness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-08
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-11-13 16:54:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18035501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConvenientAlias/pseuds/ConvenientAlias
Summary: A reminder of how Enjolras' revolutionary activities put him in danger has Javert in a somber mood.





	The thought of losing you.

Javert knows his mood tonight is starting to piss Enjolras off, and rightly so. They only meet up for dinner maybe once a week, and even then their rendevous are brief, and he’s spoiling this one. But he can’t help feeling pensive. He’s not up to their usual banter, either--he knows if he tried right now, he’d be too harsh, so instead he keeps quiet. It’s making Enjolras prickly, but that’s just too bad. Not much to be done about that.

He can’t explain why he’s in a somber mood, after all. He can hardly explain to a revolutionary that he’s been assigned to gather information on revolutionary activities. Or that his department had a meeting today, discussing the need to crack down on revolutionary groups, increase disciplinary measures... he’d never spread confidential information to a civilian, but to a budding criminal, much less. He can’t give Enjolras warning, no matter how much he’d like to.

And it’s not like he hasn’t warned Enjolras before. “ _Revolution is not a boy’s game_ ,” he always says, and Enjolras always retorts, “ _Do you think I don’t know that?_ ”

Enjolras nudges him, and he glares. But when their eyes meet, Enjolras looks less frustrated than concerned.

“If something’s on your mind, then you can tell me about it,” he says.

“What makes you think something is on my mind?” Javert says sharply.

“Maybe the fact that you haven’t spoken in fifteen minutes. Your food’s growing cold.”

So it is. Javert frowns as he spoons a grainy spoonful of soup into his mouth. It’s disgusting; he doesn’t know why they always meet at this place. “It’s only work,” he says, which is true enough. More than that, he can’t say.

Enjolras eyes him. He’s sometimes sympathetic about Javert’s work--Javert has told him about grave injustices, terrible violence and corruption he seeks to end. Other times he’ll tell Javert point blank that the work he does is just a tool to uphold the aristocracy and an unbalanced justice system that oppresses the poor and weak, sometimes interrupting Javert in the middle of a sentence to make the declaration point blank. Tonight, though, even if he’s annoyed, he’s not necessarily looking for conflict. He doesn’t ask Javert what’s come up. He says, “I’m sorry if it’s been a hard day.”

So they eat, and Enjolras talks, and Javert, while he can’t get up the passion to debate with him as usual, at least listens. Enjolras’ rants about how the rich and powerful must fall weary him in a different way from usual. Usually, he feels cynically amused; tonight, he feels cold and afraid.

“This sort of talk could get you shot,” he says at last, the closest he can come to voicing his worries. Enjolras only gives him a scornful look and continues. His words blend together in Javert’s ears, a rush of fearful static, like the sound of hail hitting the roof. And he is afraid, more than he has been in ages, of how this boy will rush on recklessly, how he will get himself killed. Like many another boy before him, only none of them were Enjolras. None of them were Javert’s.

He doesn’t want to lose Enjolras. He hardens his heart, swearing to watch him carefully. He can’t circumvent the law to protect Enjolras, of course--if Enjolras ever tells him a concrete plan, he’ll have to report it, and if Enjolras gets arrested, Javert can’t help him make an escape. No, he can’t work outside the law... but he’ll have to find some sort of balance, to uphold the law and still manage to keep Enjolras safe. He's balanced on enough precarious rooftops before; he's sure he can do it.

**Author's Note:**

> This ficlet was written for a prompt of "Enjolras/Javert, the thought of losing you scares me." Hope you enjoyed :)


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